Thursday, November 15
<-Christopher Parkening / Los Romeros-> 
Guitar heaven! Tonight the UGA Performing Arts Center in Athens welcomes guitarist Christopher Parkening, and Saturday Spivey Hall in Morrow presents four members of the guitar-playing Romero family, Los Romeros. Guitar lovers, have at it. (An aside, looking ahead: Columbus State University holds its ninth annual Guitar Competition and Symposium February 23-24, 2008. Details here.)
Seems nobody wants to perform Thanksgiving weekend, so concerts pile up the week before. Beyond guitar, here are some reasons to get out and about.
- Augusta (Friday): the Paris Piano Trio in Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert.
- Albany (Saturday): Moscow Nights, classically trained Russian folk trio.
- Valdosta (Saturday): Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and VSU Concert Choir and soloists with conductor Paul Neal in Haydn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein.
- Savannah area (Friday, Saturday): the Savannah Sinfonietta with Vivaldi, O'Connor, Bach, Mozart.
- Athens, Sunday: Tango Buenos Aires.
- Atlanta (Thursday, Friday, Sunday): the Atlanta Symphony with violinist Leila Josefowicz and conductor Kwame Ryan in Beethoven and Schumann. (In today's noon hour Josefowicz tells us about the cadenzas she wrote for the Beethoven concerto.)
- Atlanta (Friday, Sunday): the Atlanta Opera's Hansel and Gretel with Yoel Levi conducting and puppets puppeting.
- Atlanta (Sunday): in addition to opera and symphony, your choice of Grieg and Tchaikovsky with the Bergen Philharmonic, Andre Watts and Andrew Litton at Emory; the Georgian State Dance Company (that's the other Georgia) at the Fox; and (our) Georgia State University's BrassFest with guest trumpeter Allen Vizzutti.
11 AM . . .
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- Bustamente: Misionera; Villa-Lobos: Five Preludes: No. 1. Pepe Romero (Philips 420 245)
- Beethoven: Piano Trio in G, Op. 1/2. Florestan Trio (Hyperion 67393)
- Wagner: Magic Fire Music; Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure (arr. Stokowski). Bournemouth Sym, Serebrier (Naxos 8.570293)
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- Smetana: Wallenstein's Camp. BBC Phil, Noseda (Chandos 10413)
- Schubert/Ernst: The Earl-King. Leila Josefowicz (Philips 446 700)
- Gershwin/Heifetz: Three Preludes. Leila Josefowicz, John Novacek (Philips 289 462 948)
- Bernstein: Candide: Make Our Garden Grow. Joshua Bell, Philahrmonia Orch, Zinman (Sony 89358)
- Albeniz: The Alhambra: La Vega (arr. Marshall). Christopher Parkening, London Sym, E. Bernstein (EMI Angel 56859)
- Ravel: La Vallee des Cloches (arr. Grainger). Netherlands Phil, Kreizberg (PentaTone 058)
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- Marcello: La Cetra: Concerto No. 5 in B-flat. Collegium Musicum, Standage (Chaconne 0744)
- Barrios: Una limosna por el amor de Dios. Pepe Romero (Philips 420 245)
- Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major. Cleveland Orch, Dohnanyi (London 421 439; pictured: London Decca 452 214)
